United Tribes
- Title
- United Tribes
- Creator
- Artist not currently known; most murals in this area are created through community commissions or collective projects involving local Native artists and youth programs. While the individual artist of the United Tribes Mural is not publicly recorded, murals throughout the Little Earth Native American neighborhood are often the result of community collaboration. Many are supported by the Little Earth Residents Association, the Native Youth Arts Collective, and various Minneapolis arts initiatives aimed at empowering Indigenous artists. These projects encourage creative expression, cultural pride, and community healing through public art. The artists and youth involved in these works contribute to a growing visual narrative that celebrates Native identity and visibility within the Twin Cities.
- Date
- Date of creation: Unknown (community-based mural, likely mid-2010s)
Date of documentation: October 27, 2025 - Description
- The United Tribes Mural features bold, graffiti-style typography that stretches across a long brick wall under an overpass in the Little Earth community. The words “United Tribes” dominate the composition, painted in large block letters outlined in deep navy and filled with gradient hues of tan, orange, and blue. The color transition give the look of a sunset across an open landscape, grounding the piece in the natural imagery of the plains and sky. Within the letters, subtle silhouettes of tipis and tree lines appear, linking the graffiti aesthetic with traditional Indigenous symbols of the local community. The layering of modern street art techniques and Native iconography visually represents a dialogue between generations a meeting of urban and ancestral identity. The mural’s placement under the bridge adds to its visual impact; it acts almost like a threshold between two worlds the built environment of the city below and the rooted Indigenous presence above where you can see a mural across the whole street. The clean, confident lines and harmonious color palette lend a sense of calm strength and unity. Despite being a simple text-based mural, it conveys a deep sense of belonging and pride. The formal balance between bold lettering and the soft colors gives the artwork both structure and emotional warmth, symbolizing stability and connection within the community it represents.
- Subject
- The United Tribes Mural holds powerful meaning within the Little Earth neighborhood, which is home to one of the largest urban Native American populations in the United States. The mural’s message of unity speaks directly to the neighborhood’s history and its ongoing efforts to preserve Indigenous culture and identity in an urban setting. “United Tribes” references both the diversity and solidarity among the many Native nations represented in Little Earth including Dakota, Ojibwe, Lakota, and other Indigenous peoples who live together as one community. In a broader context, the mural acts as a public statement of presence and resilience. It asserts that Native people are not relics of the past but vibrant contributors to Minneapolis’s culture and history. Public art has long been an important tool of cultural affirmation in the Twin Cities, especially in the times of social change and displacement. The Little Earth murals serve as visual resistance to erasure reclaiming walls, bridges, and public spaces as sites of identity and empowerment. The United Tribes Mural reminds viewers that strength comes through unity, and that Indigenous communities continue to thrive through cooperation, cultural pride, and collective memory. By situating this mural in a highly visible area, the community ensures that both residents and visitors recognize the lasting impact of Indigenous peoples in the city’s story. It stands not only as an artwork but as a declaration of cultural endurance, harmony, and hope for future generations.
- Rights
- Artist: Unknown (community-based project)
Researcher: Shaakir Banow - Source
- “About Little Earth of United Tribes.” Little Earth Residents Association, https://littleearth.org/.
“Native Youth Arts Collective.” Minneapolis Community Arts Program, 2023.
Files
Citation
Artist not currently known; most murals in this area are created through community commissions or collective projects involving local Native artists and youth programs. While the individual artist of the United Tribes Mural is not publicly recorded, murals throughout the Little Earth Native American neighborhood are often the result of community collaboration. Many are supported by the Little Earth Residents Association, the Native Youth Arts Collective, and various Minneapolis arts initiatives aimed at empowering Indigenous artists. These projects encourage creative expression, cultural pride, and community healing through public art. The artists and youth involved in these works contribute to a growing visual narrative that celebrates Native identity and visibility within the Twin Cities., “United Tribes,” Museum in the streets: Murals in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, accessed June 7, 2026, https://mspmurals.omeka.net/items/show/167.